Closure disk for containers



W. L. WRIGHT.

CLOSURE DlSK FOR CONTAINERS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18. 1919.

1,403,532. I Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

UNITED sures PATENT OFFICE.

WILBUR L. WRIGHT, 0F FULTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO SEALRIGHT (30., INC., 01'

FULTON, NEW YORK, A GBBPORATIGN OF NEW YORK. I

CLOSURE DISK FOR CONTAINERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

Application filed August 18, 1919; Serial No. 318,214.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, WILBUR' L. WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States-of America, and resident of Fulton, county of Oswego, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Closure Disks for Containers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improve ments in closure disks for containers; and the objects and nature of the invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art in the light of the following explanation of the accompanying drawings illustrating what I now believe to be the preferred mechanical expression or embodiment of my invention from among other forms within the spirit and scope thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide a flat single-ply pulp or paper material closure disk, the top and bottom surfaces of which are without projections so that the disk can be freely used in capping machinery, with the disk so cut in the process of manufacture as to leave the disk approximately imperforate yet so that the disk will embody within itself a tongue-like portion that can be torn or separated except at one end, from the body of the disk to leave an opening through the disk and to form a pull tab by WhlCll the disk can be extracted from the container mouth, and with the edge walls of the opening thus formed and of the tab, of such relative formation as to prevent downward movement of said tongue-like portion before separation or of the tab after separation from the body of the disk, and furthermore to provide such disk formation, that cap making machinery in common use can be easily modified to form the cuts in the disks as such machinery stamps or punches out the disks, whereby the disks can be economically manufactured in quantities without substantial increase in cost for material and production over the common paper material disks of commerce that have no handle forming portions.

The invention consists in certain'qnovel features in construction and formation as more fully hereinafter set forth and pointed out. Referring to the accompanying draw- 111 ig. 1, is a top perspective view of the disk of my invention.

Fig. 2, is a top perspective of the disk showing the tongue-like portion separated and bent up to form a pull tab and leave an opening through the disk.

Fig. 3, 1s a bottom perspective of the disk of Flg. 2.

4 is a top plan view.

F g. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 Fig. 4.

F1g. 6 1s a section on the line 6-6 Fig. 4.

In the drawings, I show a stiff flat closure disk 1, composed of a single layer or ply of strong tough paper material or pulp board, such for instance as a special strong sulphlte stock although I do not wish to so limit my invention.

This disk is cut partially through to provide or outline an approximately radial tongue-like area or portion 2 of the disk body or material extending from the top to the bottom faces of the disk and from the inner or central part of the disk toward but terminating a substantial distance from the peripheral edge of the disk. like ortion includes areas of both the top and ottom surfaces of the disk, and is outlined or defined by an upper approximately U-shaped cut (1 extending but partially through the disk, say about half way through the disk, and a lower approximately U- shaped cut 6 extending but partially through the disk, say about half way. These two cuts are offset or out of alinement, i. e., the upper cut is larger or of greater width than the lower cut although approximately parallel or concentric therewlth.

Although my invention is not concerned in form of each out, whether of straight or curved lines or whether literally or strictly of a U-shape, yet in the drawings I happen to show each cut consisting of a curved cross line at the inner end of the tongue-like portion with a pair of diverging lines extending from the ends of the cross line toward and terminating short of the disk edge. In' this form, the cut extending down through the top face of the disk is of greater width between its diverging lines and its cross line is nearer the center of the disk and of greater radius than the corresponding lines of the other out that extends up through the bottom face of the disk.

The arrangement of these upper and lower cuts is such that the tongue-like portion bounded thereby is throughout its length and width an integral connected portion of This tongue the disk, being so connected and secured in the disk b the unbroken portions 0 of the disk that intervene between the upper and lower cuts and by the uncut area of the disk at the outer end or base of the tonguelikeportion. These intervenin or uncut portions of the disk are located under or beneath the area of the top surface of the disk that is bounded by the upper cut, but are located outside of the area of the bottom surface of the disk that is bounded by the lower out.

While the disk is composed of a homogeneous mass of pulp or aper material wlth approximately hard finished surfaces, et the intermediate portions of the material etween the faces will separate undera comparatively light pull in the proper dlrectlon when the separation, in a plane approximately parallel with the disk faces, 18 once started. Nevertheless, the dlskas an entirely possesses considerable tensile strength and stiffness and this tendency to easily split doe not exist except when a transverse pull r on the upward movement of'the is exerted on only a portion of the thickness of the disk after the separation is started.

I utilize this peculiar quality or characteristic of these pulp board or other paper material disks, in the embodiment of my'lnvention illustrated. The disks as manufactured, sold and used, are to all intents and purposes, flat and imperforate and simi-.

lar to the common fiat disks without handles. However, when it is desired to extract a disk from a receptacle mouth, the finger nail can be inserted in the inner end of the u per out, i. e. into the cross line thereof, an the separation can be thereby started by lifting the inner end of the tongue-like portion. The finger nail laterally separates the unbroken intermediate material lying between the cross lines of the upper and lower cuts. The extreme end of the tongue-like portion is thus elevated and continued upward pull causes slitting or separation of the material lying between the diverging lines of the upper and lower cuts until the complete pull tab is formed as shown by Figs. 2 and 3. This tab is the full thickness of the disk except for the edge flanges 2". The separa tion or splitting of the disk material Iceases,

u 1 ta when the ends of the cuts are reac ed, and thereafter the pull is against the full thick-. ness' of the disk where the tendency to s lit does not exist. The disk possesses considbrable tensile strength against tearing through its full thickness and bracing or strengthening means to prevent the tab tearing through the edge of the disk under disk extracting pull, is not necessary because the tab is of the full thickness of the disk.

If so desired, the topsurface of the disk can be indented or depressed, at 5, at the cross line of the upper cut, to visually indiformed when the disk is out. Also, if de- This indentation can be sired, the under surface of the disk can be indented or creased, see 6, at the base of the tongue-like portion to locate a bending line at the base of the tab or tongue and cause the same to bend up easily and on an approximately straight transverse line.

These disks are always imprinted on their upper surfaces and furthermore the indent 5, will indicate the upper surface of the cap, so that there will be no uncertainty in locating the disks right side up in the containers.

The formation and arrangement of the cuts prevents possibility of the ton ue-like portions becoming depressed into t e containers through accident either before or after separation. After the tongue-like portions, have been separated and bent up, they can be bent back to place again to close the openings, and the flanges 2* will prevent downward movement of the tabs into the containers. The tabs are hence free to move upwardly from but not downwardly through the disks.

The formation of the tab by separation and upward movement of the tongue-like portion, leaves an opening through the disk, and where it is not desired to remove the disk from the container, at pouring opening is thus provided. Also, an opening through which paper straws can be inserted for consuming liquid contents direct from the container.

I do not wish to limit my invention strictly to the tongue-like portion directly connected into the disk by unbroken material throughout the entire length of said portion, as the cross line at the inner end of said portion might be formed by an angular or inclined cut extending completely through the disk and formed by such' a thin blade as to be closed by the paraifining treatment to which such disks are subjected.

These disks of my invention can be produced by the common gang punch presses now employed to stamp out the flat disks without handles as the punches and dies can be provided with thin blades to produce the cuts.

The depression 5 is of sufficient depth and width to expose the extreme edge of the tongue-like area 2 approximately the full depth of the top out a, so that the finger nail of the operator can easily enter the depression and initiate the separation of the 2 and shoulders internal intermediate unbroken connecting female dies so that a portion of the'disk is depressed bodily from the plane of the disk forming a projecting bulge at the bottom of the disk, see 5, Figs. 3 and 5, and this bottom bulge is beveled or rounded so as to offer no abrupt or like edge portions or shoulders to interfere with the free use of the disks in capping machinery.

It is evident that variations in formation and arrangement can be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact disclosure hereof.

What I claim is 1. A fiat single-ply paper-material closure disk having upper and lower offset cuts outlining a tongue like portion of the full thickness of the disk and adapted to be bent up to form a pull tab and leave an opening through the disk, said disk formed with a depression at the inner end of said portion, said depression forming a rounded or bevelled edge bulge at the under side of the disk.

2. A flat single-ply paper-material closure disk at its top and bottom faces formed for use in capping machinery and having upper and lower offset cuts outlining a tongue-like portion of the full thickness of the disk and adapted to be bent up to form a pull tab and leave an opening through the disk remote from the disk edge, said disk being imperforate and at its top face formed to render the end of said portion accessible.

3. A fiat paper material closure disk having offset cuts at its opposite side faces extending partially through the thickness of the disk and outlining a tongue-like portion of the full thickness of the disk remote from 4 the disk edge and formed to be bent up to leave an opening through the disk and form a free end pull tab within the boundary of the disk, said disk being formed for use in capping machinery and having a top depression partially exposing the end edge of said portion.

4. A flat paper material disk embodying and including within itself a tongue-like portion of the full thickness of the disk and approximately throughout its full length joined to the disk by uncut readily separable intermediate portions of the material of the disk, the area of the top surface of the disk that forms the top surface of said portion being of greater width than the area of the bottom surface of the disk that forms the bottom surface of said portion, said disk being closed completely around said portion against passage of liquid and formed to permit access of a finger nail to the inner end of said portion to enable said portion to be bent up to form a pull tab having its base s aced a substantial distance from the disk e ge.

5. A flat paper material disk providing within its surrounding-edge, a tongue-like portion of the full thickness of the disk and joined in the disk throughout its length in-. cluding its inner end by imperforate uncut readily-separable intermediate portions of the material of the disk, the area of the top surface of said portion that forms an intermediate part of the disk top being of greater width than the area'of the bottom surface of said portion that forms an intermediate part of the disk bottom, said disk being formed to permit access to said inner end of said portion to enable said portion to be partially detached and bent up to form a disk-extracting pull tab and to provide a pouring opening spaced from the outer surrounding edge of the disk.

WILBUR L. WRIGHT. 

